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Ignorability and stability assumptions in neighborhood effects research
Author(s) -
VanderWeele Tyler J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
statistics in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.996
H-Index - 183
eISSN - 1097-0258
pISSN - 0277-6715
DOI - 10.1002/sim.3139
Subject(s) - causal inference , causation , context (archaeology) , inference , causality (physics) , stability (learning theory) , econometrics , value (mathematics) , outcome (game theory) , computer science , mathematics , mathematical economics , machine learning , artificial intelligence , epistemology , paleontology , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
Two central assumptions concerning causal inference in the potential outcomes framework for estimating neighborhood effects are examined. The stable unit treatment value assumption in the context of neighborhood effects requires that an individual's outcome does not depend on the treatment assigned to neighborhoods other than the individual's own neighborhood. The assumption is important in that it makes estimation feasible, although some progress can be made even when the assumption is relaxed. Some discussion is given concerning the contexts in which the neighborhood‐level stable unit treatment value assumption is likely to hold. The ignorability assumption allows the researcher to move from conclusions about association to conclusions about causation. In the context of neighborhood‐wide interventions, the ignorability assumption for the individual‐level potential outcomes framework can be easily adapted for neighborhood effects. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.